Rail-joint chair.



v PATENTED APR. 14, 1903. T. ELROD. RAIL JOINT CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1903. no MODEL.

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lllIII HHIIIIHHHEHU 'll Ill UNITED STATES PATENT Trice.

THOMAS ELROD, OF OOOL, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO DIXON L. PHILLIPS, OF HANFORD, CALIFORNIA.

RAIL-JOINT CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 725,057, dated April 14, 1903. Application filed January 31,1903. Serial No. 141,324 (No model.

To aZZ/ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS ELROD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cool, in

the county of Eldorado and State of California, have invented a newand useful Rail- Joint Chair, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved railjoint and chair, and has for its object to pro- IO vide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device of this character adapted to be readily applied to the ends of rails and capable of securely connecting and clamping the same without necessitating the employment of bolts or other fastening devices for engaging the rail-webs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a joint chair formed in two sections hinged together, one of said sections being adapted to be swung outwardly to permit the easy introduction of the adjacent ends of the rails and provided with means for holding or locking said section in contact with the webs of the rails preparatory to spiking or permanently securing the chair in position.

Afurther object is to construct a joint-chair that will allow for expansion and contraction of the rails as the atmospheric changes take place.

0 The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the joint-chair constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view showing the pivoted jaws partly open, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing the jaw locked in position.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, 1 designates the jointchair, and 2 the rails. The chair 1 consists of a flat base-plate 3, made of metal or other suitable material, one end of which is bent upon itself, as shown at 4, forminga laterallyprojecting flange '5, terminating in an upwardly-extending flange or fish plate 6,cu rved in cross-section and conforming to the configuration of the rails. The flange 5 may be secured to the base-plate 3 in any suitable manner, as by rivets 7, or in some cases the flange instead of being formed integral with the base-plate may be formed of a separate piece and removably secured to the baseplate by means of bolts or similar fastening devices. Pivoted to the base-plate 3 is a movable jaw 8, provided with an outwardlyextending flange 9, which lies parallel with the base-plate 3, being hinged thereto by means of arod 10, the free end of said jaw being bent to form an upwardly-extending flange or fish-platell. Thelaterally-extending flanges 5 and 9 form abroad bearing-surface for the chair, and said flanges and the base-plate 3 are provided with openings 13, adapted to receive spikes 14 or other suitable fastening devices and by means of which the chair is secured to the tie or sleeper. Secured to the base-plate 3 at a point adjacent the pivoted end thereof is a spring-catch 15, one end of which passes through an opening 16, formed in the base-plate 3 and is bent at right angles thereto, as shown at 17, and riveted or otherwise secured to the base-plate 3. The catch 15 engages a slot or keeper 18, formed in the movable jaw 8, when said jaw is in the closed position and holds the jaws in contact with the ends of the rails prepara- 8o tory to spiking or otherwise permanently securing the chair to the tie.

'The pivoted jaw 8 is adapted to be swung outwardly to permit the easy introduction and removal of the rails, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In applying the joint-chair to the rails the movable jaw is swung outwardly and the adjoining end portions of the rails placed in. the proper position. The movable jaw is then closed, the catch engaging its keeper and lockin g the fish-plate in contact with the webs of the rails, thereby holding the rails in their proper relative position preparatory to spiking or otherwise permanently securing the chair to the tie or sleeper.

When for any reason it is desired to remove the rails, the fastening devices holding the movable jaw may be withdrawn and the jaw swung outwardly by releasing the catch, Ioo

which permits the removal of either one or both of said rails and allows them to be replaced with ease and despatch.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have produced a simple, strong, and comparatively inexpensive device capable of enabling the ends of the rails to be positively and securely connected without the employment of bolts and nuts and provided with means for holding the rails in the proper position preparatory to spiking or otherwise permanently securing them without the use of auxiliary or extraneous holding devices and which will also permit the introduction or removal of one or both of the rails by simply releasing one side of the chair;

Various changes in form proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. r

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is v 1. A rail-joint chair comprising a base provided with an upwardly-extending flange or fish-plate, a movable jaw pivoted to the baseplate and adapted to be swung into and out of contact with the rails, and a catch for holding the movable jaw inclosed position.

2. V A rail-joint chair comprising a base, an upwardlyextending flange or fish plate formed integral with the base, a rail-engagingjaw pivoted to the base, and locking means carried by the base for securing the jaw in contact with the rails.

3. In a rail-joint chair, the combination with a base-plate, of a movable jaw pivoted to the base-plate, upwardly-extending railengaging flanges or fish-plates at opposite sides thereof, outwardly-extending flanges formed integral with the fish-plates, there being spike-securing openings in the flanges and base-plate, and aspring-catch carried by the base and adapted to engage a keeper formed in the movable jaw.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS ELROD.

Witnesses:

O. S. FORD, P. F. MORGAN. 

